Hit-and-run driver leaves 4-year-old Deltona boy seriously injured

Published: Wednesday, February 13, 2013 at 1:30 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, February 15, 2013 at 12:51 p.m.

Volusia deputies are looking for a hit-and-run driver who left a 4-year-old Deltona boy with a serious leg injury, a sheriff's spokesman said Wednesday afternoon.

Witnesses told deputies that a gold-colored car and a green pickup were engaged in a road rage confrontation while driving on East Normandy Boulevard. Occupants of both vehicles were throwing things at each other and weaving in traffic.

About 12:16 p.m. the driver of the car threw something and lost control, striking a bench near the intersection of Normandy and East Hancock Drive where the boy, his father, his sister and another man were waiting for a bus, said sheriff's spokesman Brandon Haught.

After hitting the boy, the car turned into the parking lot of the nearby Deltona Christian Church and then sped off, Haught said.

The injured boy was airlifted to Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach to be treated for a broken thigh bone and several abrasions. No one else was injured, Haught said.

The suspect vehicle is believed to be a late 1990s or early 2000s gold, four-door Chrysler Sebring with heavy damage to the front passenger side. The driver is a light-skinned Hispanic man in his early 20s and has a shaved head.

Deputies also want to speak with the occupants of the pickup. That vehicle was green with a camper top and several veterans stickers on the back. The pickup had a memorial sticker on it that says “Cody Kuffner, 1988 – 2008,” Haught said.

Anyone with information about either vehicle is asked to contact the Sheriff's Office at 386-860-7030, or Crime Stoppers at 888-277-TIPS (8477). Resident can also text a tip by texting “TIP231 plus the message” to CRIMES. Tipsters who provide information to Crime Stoppers remain anonymous and may qualify for a reward of up to $1,000.

Editor's note: The age of the boy injured in the crash was incorrect in an earlier version of this story. The wrong age was released by the Sheriff's Office.

<p>Volusia deputies are looking for a hit-and-run driver who left a 4-year-old Deltona boy with a serious leg injury, a sheriff's spokesman said Wednesday afternoon.</p><p>Witnesses told deputies that a gold-colored car and a green pickup were engaged in a road rage confrontation while driving on East Normandy Boulevard. Occupants of both vehicles were throwing things at each other and weaving in traffic. </p><p>About 12:16 p.m. the driver of the car threw something and lost control, striking a bench near the intersection of Normandy and East Hancock Drive where the boy, his father, his sister and another man were waiting for a bus, said sheriff's spokesman Brandon Haught. </p><p>After hitting the boy, the car turned into the parking lot of the nearby Deltona Christian Church and then sped off, Haught said.</p><p>The injured boy was airlifted to Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach to be treated for a broken thigh bone and several abrasions. No one else was injured, Haught said.</p><p> </p><p>The suspect vehicle is believed to be a late 1990s or early 2000s gold, four-door Chrysler Sebring with heavy damage to the front passenger side. The driver is a light-skinned Hispanic man in his early 20s and has a shaved head. </p><p>Deputies also want to speak with the occupants of the pickup. That vehicle was green with a camper top and several veterans stickers on the back. The pickup had a memorial sticker on it that says “Cody Kuffner, 1988 – 2008,” Haught said.</p><p>Anyone with information about either vehicle is asked to contact the Sheriff's Office at 386-860-7030, or Crime Stoppers at 888-277-TIPS (8477). Resident can also text a tip by texting “TIP231 plus the message” to CRIMES. Tipsters who provide information to Crime Stoppers remain anonymous and may qualify for a reward of up to $1,000.</p><p><i>Editor's note: The age of the boy injured in the crash was incorrect in an earlier version of this story. The wrong age was released by the Sheriff's Office.</i></p>